A conference entitled "Hydrodiplomacy, water security and Nexus: lessons learned - MENA" was organized at the initiative of Mr. Fadi Comair, Director General of hydraulic and electric resources, at the Hotel "Le Royal" Dbayyeh June 6, 2018.
This conference brought together under one roof several experts and eminent personalities.
The Director General of hydraulic and electric resources, Dr. Fadi Comair ensured the opening of the Conference and welcomed the presence of H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, the Director of the AFD Mr. Olivier Ray and the president of the Foundation Fouad Chehab, former Minister of Justice H.E.Mr. Charles Rizk.
He then spoke about Hydrodiplomacy with emphasis on its Symposiums yearly organized at the french Senate.
Mr. Fadi Comair has continued his speech by highlighting the problems that we face such as the population explosion and the risk of drought, and based on this the urgent need to apply the anti-crises texts needed to establish peace in the concerned region.
He then recalled that in this interdependent world, peaceful cooperation such as the Nile Basin initiative is essential because it is a vital element for the resolution of conflicts.
Finally Dr. Fadi Comair said that it's important to find sustainable solutions to overcome water shortage and offer future generations a sustainable peace for the region knowing that the reflections of today could provide a common basis for the consolidation of a dynamic process of sharing water resources in the Middle East.
Mr. Nassif Hitti, Director of the higher Institute of Political Sciences - USEK and the moderator of this conference has seen that the hydrodiplomacy can be a chance especially with the mediation related to it.
He mentioned that some of the conflicts are not water conflicts, they are conflicts of message, in other words it is a way to send a message.
Mr. Samir Nasr, an economist and consultant, ECE
Mr. Nasr has seen that water strategy should be structured and conducted by the Government, but often there are management and financial problems, especially in countries that have large budget deficits.
He then gave the definition of the Public Private Partnership that is according to him "easy to say and difficult to do".
Mr. Samir Nasr added that a PPP is a must because we need to go fast and quickly, to regulate rather than manage and to ask services extensions.
It is mentioned in this context that only a responsible authority could realize a successful PPP knowing that the final property in the PPP would return to the State.
Regarding water issues, this subject should be studied on various plans (economic, social and financial...)
He then added that the agreements with the Government should be clear and transparent, taking into account the fact that potential changes do not lead to a conflict.
Mr. Fadi Comair said that a project such as the Red-Dead inspires trust between the concerned countries. Based on this, we must change the concept of hegemonic administration in order to reach the needed cooperation.
H.E. Miguel ÁngelMoratinos, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs
H.E. Miguel ÁngelMoratinos thanked Mr. Fadi Comair for his invitation and all the participants for their valuable presence.
He spoke about Hydrodiplomacyand its importance and he gave a particular attention to the need to act, to achieve and to reach through similar debates and reflections the required cooperation.
Then, he added that in diplomacy we need to take into account the geography and history of a given country.
H.E. Moratinos thinks that in the Middle East there is a collective memory that prevents us from moving forward, but the issues are always the same: water, climate, energy, oil and food; and they are all essential to our existence.
"If there is water, there is democracy".
The paradox is that politicians are trying to find solutions in different areas of the world while neglecting security and the peaceful climate that our society needs.
The Minister then spoke about the importance of the intervention that Dr. Fadi Comair did on the damsexplosive conflicts that represent a vital subject requiring a major attention in order to find solutions.
He indicated that the problem is that we ignore the source of the problems and we suffer from the consequences it generates.
The Minister ended his speech by saying that time came to change the traditional approach and sign the needed agreements for the future.
The reality is complicated, we need to know how to negotiate and how to solve problems...
Making war is easy and doesn't cost much but making peace is hard to achieve!
Let's make peace !
